That ‘Office’ Revival May Become a Christmas Special

As the wheel of revivals turns, The Office looks like it might be next. Rather than returning for a full series, however, star John Krasinski said he’d rather borrow a page from the show’s O.G. incarnation to make it happen.

When last we heard, NBC was still considering a full Office revival, though no official plans were yet in motion. The question has naturally been posed to John Krasinski as the actor-director makes his Quiet Place rounds, and the erstwhile Jim Halpert seems surprisingly aboard. Speaking with IGN, Krasinski suggested a Christmas special in the vein of the U.K. Office closer as the best way to get him back in the fold:

I’ve talked about it a bunch. I love the idea of coming back together [but] I think it’d be impossible to get us all together to do a run of the series. But [British shows] have the Christmas specials … That is such a brilliant thing in television programming, to do a once-a-year sort of check-in with your favorite shows. I absolutely think we should do that, and I don’t know why more shows don’t do that. Hey America! We need to do Christmas specials.

For what it’s worth, the original Office Christmas special had the benefit of resolving Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis)’s will-they-won’t-they relationship, as well as bringing a (temporary) end to David Brent (Ricky Gervais)’s boorishness. The NBC Office finale similarly wrapped up just about everyone’s storylines, so bringing Krasinski’s Jim or Steve Carell’s Michael Scott might not have the same effect. If anything, reviving The Office at Christmas would likely introduce a revamped cast, which NBC could then continue with a more renewable season. If Will & Grace can return for a third revival season, it’s certainly possible.

For his part, Krasinski insisted “It’s not some sentimental bogus bulls— … I’d love to go back,” but there’s still a few pieces missing from the puzzle. Stay tuned for more as the revival arms race continues.